Kazoku
by The Silent Wing
Summary: After the fire took away Kido Tsubomi's family she blames herself for not being able to protect those important to her. She then meets the Tateyama's who help her with two important things: learning to trust and gaining the strength to move on.
1. Chapter 1 Beginnings part 1

Chapter 1 The Beginning

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The new play ground was planned to be built in the spring but seasons came and passed with the grounds containing nothing but a pyramid of metal bars and large tubes and an unsteady pile of sand that was used as a substitute for a slide by impatient children. Many parents were not very pleased with this but it was out of their hands. The construction manager had suddenly stopped construction due to a new more advanced project handed to him by the town planner, which was to go out of town with several others in the construction industry to participate in the construction of a large structure in the city. So the empty playground was left unfinished and many hopeful children grew up. Several teenagers and young adults would pass the proposed site and laugh with their companions about how their childhood was spent sliding down a mountain of sand and playing hide and seek behind piles of rusted building material.

As time passed the playground was soon forgotten by everyone as the woods surrounding the area over grew and parents proposed to have a playground for the children at the centre of town. The only ones that did not forget the abandoned site were the animals and a 12 year old girl. This girl was quite unpredictable, had several friends and was quite content with her life. But there would be times when she would want to get away from the world and so while exploring the woods one day she found the abandoned assortment of building materials. She had heard a mention from her parents about an unfinished playground but had never asked them further about the topic. Knowing that no one would find her she made the abandoned playground her secret hiding place.

She was there again on the day when the summer solstice occurred. The girl hadn't known about the event that day but she wanted to get out of the house. Her parents had been arguing the night before about something and she didn't wish to interfere. So, early that morning she snuck out and was glad she did. It was the type of day she loved, a day when the sun's light would already warm the air despite it being barely dawn.

The girl was sitting on the top of a fallen tree trunk when she heard a small whimper. She had at first assumed it was an injured animal and was looking around the abandoned materials which was when she saw a form lurking inside the shadow of the largest metal tunnel. She slowly went up to the tunnel and cautiously looked inside and was surprised to find a young girl. The young girl was crying and from the shadows it looked like her clothes were torn. The older girl gasped and quickly brought her hand to the younger girl's shoulder worried that she was hurt. The younger girl gave a muffled scream as she felt the pressure on her shoulder but then slowly calmed down as she saw a kind, concerned face. The older girl backed away from the tunnel as the young girl made her way out. In the morning light, no matter how torn the clothes were the young girl was wearing anyone could see that it was very good quality. Her hair was technically blonde but it seemed almost green and was chopped off at her shoulder. At first the young girl's eyes flashed red but the crimson streak was soon replaced by black eyes that somehow complimented her hair. The pale skin around her eyes was stained red and the steady flow of tears ruined the delicate beauty the child had.

The older girl although only at that the age of 12 had a very strong maternal instinct and was often seen surrounded by the younger children at her school. She surprised the younger girl when she hugged her. The girl at first froze in shock by the sudden movement but soon the comforting arms made her feel safe and she continued crying into the older girl's shoulder.

Time seemed to stop as the young girl cried her heart out while the elder gently patted her back and comforted her. Eventually the young girl, tired by her sobbing, grew quieter and fell asleep on the girl's shoulder. The older girl then carried the younger to the fallen tree trunk and noted, concerned that she seemed very light for her age. She sat down and laid the young girl on the trunk, her head resting on the older girl's lap. Now that she was still the older girl would see that the clothes on the young girl were not only torn but burnt and but not severely as the skin on the girl's arms and legs.

"There must have been a fire" the older girl muttered to herself as she also saw the burnt edges of the younger girl's hair.

The elder girl tried to place the young girl's face but she couldn't. The girl must have come from the out of town but the only house within miles of the town was a mansion on a large estate. She must have come from there the older girl reasoned.

"She must have walked. No wonder she's so tired." The older girl thought to herself "I wonder what happened to her family?"

As if the younger girl had heard, she shifted slightly and opened her eyes. Her eyes widened and she sat up as she saw the older girl. She tried to stand but would have fallen had the older girl not held her up. She then sat down defeated and the older girl gave her a smile which she hesitantly returned. The two then sat in the slightly awkward but peaceful silence.

"My name's Ayano, what's yours?" the older girl said, breaking the calm. There was a pause before the girl spoke.

"Tsubomi" The young girl replied quietly as if afraid to disturb the small bubble of quietness surrounding the two.

"Tsubomi? That's a pretty name. I wish mine was as nice as yours. "

Silence fell again but then a slight breeze filtered though the abandoned park and Ayano saw Tsubomi shiver slightly. On reflex she took of her thin jacket and put it around Tsubomi's shoulders where it hung loosely as the jacket was suited for someone older and also because the young girl was quite thin. Tsubomi immediately looked up at the girl, a question burning in her eyes.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" the young girl asked her eyes brimming with tears once more. "Is it because you know my family name? Papa and mama said that people are only nice to me because they want money. But…the money's all gone… and papa and mama were fighting last night …then the fire …and Hana fell and I-I hid in my room but the fire hurt me. I ran …. I ran! I couldn't save Hana; I couldn't save anyone. The fire took them!"

The girl was on her knees with new tears, fiercely streaming down her face. Ayano stared at the girl in shock until the sky suddenly darkened. Tsubomi sat up, with a terrified look on her face and although Ayano didn't notice, her eyes were now a bright madder red.

"It's coming… its coming to get me! No …I don't want to be here …..let me disappear…I shouldn't be here!" The young girl screamed as her thin body shook.

Ayano took the girl in her arms again

"Nothing is coming. It's okay Tsubomi" Ayano said trying to reassure the hysterical girl "The sun's just hiding for a bit. You're safe now. There is nothing that can hurt you. You're going to be alright"

Tsubomi was still trembling when the sun reappeared. Ayano took her hand then slowly lead her out of the forest. The elder girl ignored the looks the people on the street gave her and went straight home. Ayano found her mother alone in the kitchen washing last night's plates with her father nowhere in sight.

Ayano's mother heard the door open and was about to give her daughter a lecture about leaving the house so early in the morning until she saw the young child clutching her daughter's hand.

Ayaka had never seen such a terrified child in her life. Both she and Ayano had that same caring gene that made them want to take care of everyone and in this case that annoying gene was acting up even more than usual as Ayaka saw the trembling, burnt clothed, exhausted little girl.

The young mother immediately went to the youngest girl in the room and carried her to the sofa, being careful of the burns on Tsubomi's skin. Then she looked at Ayano questioningly. Ayano told her that she found Tsubomi in the abandoned playground. The elder women turned to Tsubomi and asked her whether she was alright. The green haired girl nodded but kept looking at Ayano nervously, slightly scared at the elder woman's presence. Ayano told her mother that Tsubomi needed her wounds cleaned and some new clothes. Ayano's mother patted Ayano's head and smiled encouragingly, proud of her daughter's protectiveness over the young girl.

When her mother left the room to get a bath ready for their guest Ayano bended down to Tsubomi and asked her if she felt hungry or if she wanted a drink. Wordlessly Tsubomi nodded and Ayano smiled encouragingly and left the room to get something for the young girl to Tsubomi waited for Ayano she looked around the room she was in. It was a small, modest sized living room with two long sofas, a table and a large armchair. There was a TV backed against a wall but it looked as if it were rarely used the reason showing itself by the filled bookcases that lined the room and the dust lining the screen. On the gaps of the wall between bookcases were photos of a small family of three, Ayano always in the centre of each photo with her parents on either side of her. It looked like they were big fans of travelling by the looks of the different landmarks in the backgrounds of each photo. The fact that there were only three of them and so many seats puzzled the young girl. Perhaps they had friends that liked to visit.

Still this place was so warm despite its size it; felt like a family home. The pained thoughts of her own home came back to her and it felt so cold. She wrapped Ayano's jacket tighter around herself as if to shield herself from the images of her home and family.

Footsteps were hurrying back to the room and the young girl dropped her gaze to her lap. Ayano walked in carrying two glasses of cold juice. She sat next to the girl on the couch and handed her one of the cold drinks, the glass having a picture of a snowman which made a smile appear on Tsubomi's face due to the irony of the heat wave that was outside and the snowman's crooked smile directed at her. Ayano smiled, delighted when she saw the corners of Tsubomi's mouth curled upwards.

They sat quietly as they drained the glasses of the juice then Ayano took their empty glasses and set them on the table in front of them. With the mood of the younger girl better Ayano didn't want to do anything to upset the content atmosphere surrounding the two so instead of bringing up the topic of Tsubomi's family she instead asked her if she wanted to look around. The younger girl surprised at the sudden question just nodded then was promptly dragged from the room as an excited Ayano showed her around the house. They started with the kitchen where a small bowl of milk and food, set on the ground, caught Tsubomi's attention. She went closer to the bowls to examine them and possibly look to whether their owner was nearby. Ayano looked on as Tsubomi searched for the family pet in the kitchen then went to a cupboard and shuffled around starting her own search. This caught the attention of Tsubomi who had paused from her hunt but then jumped back as Ayano shouted "Found it!" holding up an object that Tsubomi couldn't identify as the elder girl kept waving it in the air in triumph.

Ayano then lead Tsubomi towards the stairs, up it and into a room that had a bed with a patchwork cover thrown on top of it. The walls were covered with multiple drawings while the desk in the corner had a pile of origami books, paper and many folded products of hours of practice littering it as well as the floor. Next to the bed was a house shaped basket with a slight roof covering the entrance creating a shadow that blocked the sight of anyone who wanted to peer into the entrance.

While Tsubomi was standing at the doorway and looking into the messy room Ayano sat down on the floor next to the basket then waved Tsubomi over to where she was sitting. The young girl sat then was given something. She looked at object in her hand. It had a long handle with string that hung from one end like a fishing rod but instead of a fish on the end of the line it was a small ball that had a feather and a small bell attached to it. A wave of realisation washed over her then she looked at Ayano excitedly. Ayano smiled then looked pointedly at the entrance of the basket then back at Tsubomi. With the permission granted Tsubomi held out the small toy towards to entrance and waited patiently for something to bite. She didn't have to wait long as she soon felt a tug then heard a meow. As the creature came out of its den, yawing and stretching its claws to rid it of its sleepy state, Tsubomi smiled with glee and leaned as close as she could to the small feline that she was on the point of falling over and squashing the poor creature flat. But before she did Ayano pulled her from her previous position and into a more stable one which caused the small bell on the stick, that Tsubomi forgot she was holding, to ring causing the seemingly calm creature to react. Its green eyes focused onto its prey as it swayed from side to side then attacked. First it started pawing at the ball then biting it and finally pulled it from the surprised Tsubomi and proceeded to give it a through chewing session.

The girls laughed as they watched the kitten at it wild antics. Then the white creature yawned and kicked the toy away, satisfied with the chewed-up mess it created. It then proceeded to walk cautiously over to Tsubomi curious of this new presence next to its mistress. Tsubomi started backing away at first wary of the approaching creature but was stopped as Ayano took her hand and held it towards the kitten. The small feline then went closer and sniffed Tsubomi's hand and after a few moments it gave a small meow and licked the girl's hand casing her to giggle.

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I was curious about the relationship between Ayano and her siblings so I tried writing this story. It's my first one so I hope I didn't do too badly...anyway thanks for reading it and I hope you like it (also if you could leave a comment it would help me figure out how I can improve) sorry if there some mistakes on spelling, punctuation and anything else...- for some reason I always skip those when I proof read. The rest of this might be AU so it probably won't follow too many of the major plots in the manga and anime oh and I know this chapter kinda ends abruptly but I really wanted to get this written and I'm still thinking about how to continue this story so oh well. Thanks again for reading :)


	2. Chapter 2 Beginings part 2

Chapter 2 Beginnings part 2

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The kitten suddenly looked up at the girl. It let out a small purr as it nuzzled her hand then jumped into the lap of its mistress. Ayano petted the small cat gently and looked at Tsubomi with a sudden thought. Tsubomi caught the older girl's gaze and lowered her head, her eyes falling to her lap again.

Ayano was going to do what her family had done for years, Tsubomi realised. Whenever any member of her family looked at her it was with that face that showed that they were annoyed with her, hating her presence. The only way to make it stop was to look down and pretend that she was invisible, uttering no evidence of the sadness she felt inside.

Only her sister saw through the invisible wall.

Hana Kido, the first born and heir to the Kido fortune. She had bright red hair and black eyes but she never ever hid herself like Tsubomi, opting to be as loud as she could to protect her younger sister. But this strong girl that everyone admired was plagued with an illness brought on the Kido family like a curse that lasted for many generations. Her father was the only one out of his siblings to not inherit the illness and had thought his offspring would also receive the immunity he possessed. He was wrong and soon Hana showed the symptoms of the incurable disease, Tsubomi, although with her pale complexion, was never sick but lacked the better qualities that her sister had to allow their parents to give her the protection and love she needed.

And now she would never get it. Not from her parents or her sister.

"Tsubomi-chan? Are you alright?" A hand against her cheek brushed away a stray tear. The kitten had moved from Ayano's lap and was now looking up at the younger girl, its paw touching Tsubomi's hand in such a manner that seemed as if the cat wanted to comfort her.

"I'm ok" she said her voice not betraying the pain she felt.

"Hey Tsubomi, can I cut your hair?"

"Huh?" The young girl looked up, wondering why Ayano was asking this. Ayano just smiled at the confused face.

"Please? Kaa-san won't let me touch hers and my brother's is too short to do anything with it" Ayano said with a hopeful face. Tsubomi just nodded then Ayano got up and pulled Tsubomi with her, the little cat trailing behind. They entered a bathroom and Ayano nodded towards a chair next to the sink for Tsubomi to sit in. The young girl settled herself in the chair wiggling her feet a bit as the fur of the kitten, who had decided to take a nap below her chair, touched the soles of her feet.

"Alright, let's get started!" Ayano said, popping up behind Tsubomi's chair holding a pair of scissors with a determined expression on her face.

"Uhm…h-have you e-ever cut someone's hair before?"

"Nope" the older girl replied with a grin that scared the younger just a little.

"Don't worry I'm just going to trim the edges a bit, ok?" Tsubomi slowly nodded for her to proceed then watched as Ayano drag a comb through the green mess that was her hair.

"A-Ayano?"

"Yes, Tsubomi?" the older girl said with her eyes focused on getting the surprisingly difficult tangles out of quiet girl's hair.

"D-did y-you" the girl stopped to clear her throat "Ahem…Did you say you have a brother?"

"Yep, his name's Shuuya. I think you're about his age actually. He's a really nice boy who loves cats. He's the reason why we have that little tiger down there." Ayano said with a giggle "He found that kitten a month ago, it wasn't anything new, we were used to him bringing back some strays once in a while but this was one he absolutely refused to let go of."

Ayano stopped the stooped down to pick the kitten up and distributed it to Tsubomi's lap where it immediately curled up in its new resting place.

"If you look at the kitten's eyes you can see that it's a really bright yellow right? Shuuya's got yellow eyes too. We at first thought that was the reason why he wanted to keep it so Kaa-san and Tou-san tried to convince him to let them take it to the animal shelter. But then Shuuya broke into tears and this whole story came out about this other cat who he use to take care of having kittens and that this was the only one to survive. its mother died too" Ayano said with a sad tone. "After that the kitten just became part of the family. It's like a spoiled little baby sometimes with the way it begs for milk."

Tsubomi smiled as Ayano laughed then held the kitten to her face and looked into it's bright yellow eyes.

"So you're like me too, huh?" Tsubomi mumbled to the kitten's small face. The kitten just waved it's paw and patted Tsubomi's nose, giving a small meow of wonder.

"There you go, done. How does it look Tsubomi?" Ayano said standing back and looking at her work.

Tsubomi looked at her reflection in the mirror. She saw a pale face with green hair and red eyes.

Red eyes. It was happening again.

The kitten jumped down from her lap while Ayano had turned to put the scissors away. Tsubomi ran out the room without looking back. She didn't want Ayano to see her eyes and she didn't want to disappear, not now, not again.

"Tsubomi…?" she heard as she ran into the kitchen and out the back door. She wasn't sure where she was going but she couldn't let them see her eyes. She didn't want them to find a reason to reconsider knowing her.

It was so nice being with Ayano; like being with Hana again. When she was younger Hana was the one to cut her hair and make sure she was alright, like a big sister should. And look where that ended. She was now alone in this world. She didn't want to drag anyone else into the hateful path destiny had set out for her. She just couldn't, she thought as she fought back endless tears and ran. She felt scratches and cuts over her burns and when she opened her blurry eyes she saw green. She was in a forest. She continued running but eventually halted and stood by a tree as she held it for support while trying to get her breath back.

Tsubomi looked around her and saw nothing but a dense forest with slivers of light passing through the highest leaves. Suddenly she heard light footsteps as they crushed fallen leaves. She hid behind the large tree hoping for someone to find her yet wanting to be alone. The footsteps grew louder and then stopped just on the other side of the tree. The young girl didn't know what to do. She thought it was Ayano or perhaps Ayaka but those thoughts were rejected as a young boy's voice spoke.

"Nee-chan and Kaa-san are looking for you, you know? They're worried. Nee-chan thinks you're mad at her because of your hair cut" the new voice said.

"…n-no it's not that I just want t-to be alone for a bit"

"It's never fun to be alone. Want some company?"

"Ok" Tsubomi's voice muttered, barely audible but loud enough. Then the footsteps started again this time getting closer to her hiding place.

"Wait, please don't come-" her plead stopped when a young boy came into her vision. He had light blonde hair and had a cat-like grin on his face which froze when he met her eyes. Then he reached out towards her. Tsubomi instinctively shut her eyes and braced herself but then only felt a light pat on her head. She opened her eyes and was greeted with eyes as red as her own all while the boy continued to smile.

"So you've got them too, huh?" Tsubomi remained silent shocked at the red gaze the boy gave her. The boy gave her another smile then walked around and leaned back against the thick bark of the tree.

"W-who are y-you? Why d-do you have red eyes l-l-like me?" Tsubomi muttered with a mixture of horror and shock that someone else shared her "red" fate.

"My name's Shuuya, Ayano's little brother. Well…actually I'm not her real brother. The Tateyama's just picked me up like a stray cat and adopted me." The blonde boy said casually as if commenting that the weather was rather hot.

"I use to live with my real mother but then something happened. I lost her and got these red eyes. They never found my mother; I'm not really sure what happened. It's a bit blurry to be honest but I remember that day I wished to be someone who could save anyone, so I guess I got my wish. Nee-chan calls my eyes a super hero's power. Weird, huh?"

Tsubomi stayed quiet and Shuuya knew she must be feeling a bit over whelmed. Who wouldn't? It was like finding out that there were two suns.

"I can come back later if you want?" he said about to make his way towards the house. Then he suddenly felt a tug at his jacket. He turned and saw the green haired girl, her eyes looking straight at him, no longer red.

"Wait" and he did while she turned then wiped her face of any salty streaks. Then she turned and nodded for him to go.

They silently trekked back to the house, in the light of the now setting sun, where they were greeted by a frantic Ayano with her equally worried mother. Then after Tsubomi reassured the pair that she was okay she was practically carried to the bathroom where a warm bath awaited her. Afterwards, her wounds were treated and she was given a clean set of clothes to wear.

Tsubomi was then properly introduced to Shuuya and soon Ayano's father arrived home from work with a surprise for his family then stopped midway through his announcement when he saw Tsubomi sitting on a chair in the kitchen. He then asked Ayano and Ayaka if they could talk in the living room, leaving Shuuya and Tsubomi at the kitchen table where Ayaka had left them some soup for dinner.

While Shuuya inhaled the soup Tsubomi merely picked at hers as she tried to hear what Ayano and her parents were talking about. Shuuya soon finished his meal and noticed that Tsubomi had barely touched hers. He was about to tell her to eat up when his adopted family came in.

Ayaka came in with a victory smile while her husband had the aura of defeat around him. All while their daughter practically floated in, the feeling of happiness flowing from her. Tsubomi looked in awe at this odd family but then stopped her gawking when Ayano's father came to her chair and introduced himself as Kenjirou. Afterwards, he gently explained to Tsubomi that they needed to bring her to the police department so that it can be confirmed that a member of the Kido family did survive. Kenjirou had heard at work of a fire that brought the great mansion of the Kido to the ground and that no living members of the family had been found.

Tsubomi was a bit taken back by how direct this man was while both Ayano and Ayaka had tried to avoid the topic at all costs. Strangely, both mother and daughter didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable with the situation. So, Tsubomi allowed herself to be taken by the Tateyama's to the police station where they were confronted by several police officers. Tsubomi felt her eyes start to sting as a familiar heat entered them but it was soon cleansed when she felt a hand wrap around each of her own. She looked and saw the comforting faces of Ayano and Shuuya.

Soon after all the paper work was sorted a tired Tsubomi found herself walking back into the Tateyama home and then feeling a pillow beneath her sleepy head as she dozed off into an uneventful dreamland.

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Hi thank you for reading! :) and thanks to Leio13, Mew Sunset Star, That-One-Nerd-Person and Musical2day for following me oh and again for M2d for leaving me a review. I hope what I'm writing makes sense(sorry for any mistakes). Like I think I said before I'm just writing about the early days of Kido, Kano, Seto and Ayano's relationship so I'm not sure if this will turn into a full story. I will try and update more this month but no promises. Thank you again for reading and if you could please leave me a review:)


	3. Chapter 3

Tsubomi woke to the smell of breakfast and orange juice wafting in the air. She found herself in a room where the summer sun was peaking in from the lightly drawn curtains. The night before as blurry as it was, was still fresh in her mind and these thoughts stopped her from getting up and greeting her…family.

Could she even call them that? The man at the police station said that she belonged to the Tateyama household now but her name would stay as Kido. All relatives from her paternal family had died before she was born and only an elderly aunt remained on her maternal side. The woman had been contacted yet had said that she couldn't take care of the young girl but would like to meet her soon. So what was left of the Kido fortune would go to Tsubomi once she turned eighteen. But she didn't want to think about that; being the last Kido of once many.

A warm mass suddenly brushed her hand, distracting her from her worries. The little white kitten rubbed its head against her palm again and then jumped from the bed. He headed to the door and turned its head back towards the bed as if asking her to follow him. Tsubomi smiled softly as she got up and followed the kitten to the kitchen.

"Ohayo, Tusbomi-chan" said Ayaka from the stove as she took out another scoop of scrambled eggs from the pan.

"O-Ohayo" Tsubomi said shyly as she took the seat the kitten lead her to.

The kitchen was strangely empty and quiet with only Ayaka cooking breakfast and Tsubomi playing with the kitten that continued to run figure eights under her chair. There were four plates set out with a tall glass of orange juice next to each although one was already empty.

There was a click of a switch and the delicious smell was brought closer. Ayaka placed a plateful of toast and a bowl of scrambled eggs on the table. Seeing Tsubomi looking uneasily at the table arrangements, she decided to tell her the daily time table of the Tateyamas'.

"Everyone has a different schedule during Summer" she started while placing portions of food on each plate " That glass on the table is empty because Ayano-chan managed to slip through the kitchen and into the woods behind the house for her daily walk but she should be back in a few minutes. Shuuya-kun won't wake for another a few hours because he has the tendency to slip outside for a _night _stroll so he usually just has a big lunch to make up for breakfast. And Kenjirou woke up an hour ago to start planning for his classes at school or something like that. It wasn't really his choice of being a teacher and usually goes with me on my expeditions but we needed the money to fund for our trips. He gets really busy in the summer because by this time most of his students are just banging on the front door to teach them before the exams next month. He isn't the best teacher but he tries his best." She finishes with a fond smile on her face as she takes a seat then gestures for Tsubomi to start eating.

"Ittatakimasu" they say in chorus and dig in to the steaming food.

The door from the kitchen to the backyard suddenly bursts open and Ayano appears out of breath with leaves in her hair.

"Ohayo!" Ayano says and promptly sits down, leaves and hair dancing in the created wind, posing to scoop a spoonful of egg into her mouth when Ayaka coughs lightly and looks pointedly at the sink. Ayano pouts in retaliation but soon gets back up to wash her hands.

Well, at least all the kitchen needed was a sweep from the leaves, Ayaka thinks instead of through wash like when Ayano brought back a muddy puppy for a bath as a favour for a neighbour.

After Ayano returned to the table they started eating again and Ayaka, feeling a need to break the silence asks "So what have you been up to this morning Ayano-chan?"

With her mouth full of buttered toast she begins telling a long story of how she went back to the playground and was watching a bird take its first flight. During this time Tsubomi finishes and looks questioningly at what she should do. Ayaka then replies that she could feed the kitten telling her that the cat food is in the container on the counter. While Tsubomi pours the food into the little bowl Ayano stops her story as if to think.

"Kaa-san?" Ayano asked "I don't think Tou-san's going to make it to breakfast, should I take a tray up?"

"Mm hm" mummerd Ayaka in agreement as she takes away the empty plates to wash "Bring Tsubomi-chan with you too"

"…eh" Tsubomi looked up from petting the kitten as it devoured it's breakfast.

"Come on Tsubomi lets go give Otou-san his breakfast" said Ayano as she picked up a tray with breakfast then hurries along the corridor with Tsubomi hesitantly trailing behind her.

"Ok stop" commands Ayano and Tsubomi stumbles and bumps into the elder girl.

"Here you go Tsubomi-chan". She hands Tsubomi the tray and pushes her towards the door "knock first then say good morning ok?" Then she slips away to tell her mother the plan was on its way.

Mother and daughter had noticed that Tsubomi seemed wary of Kenjirou. Or perhaps it was adults in general with the exception of Ayaka. So while the pair was thinking of other plans to get Tsubomi to start reaching out the mentioned girl was deciding whether or not to enter with her hand poised to knock on the door. Someone else's hand suddenly jolts in front of her and beat her to it.

Tsubomi looked quickly at the direction of the hand and caught a head of pale blonde hair following Ayano's lead back to the kitchen but her attention was called back to the door when a voice from within called out to enter. Carefully balancing the tray, Tsubomi slowly nudged the door open and walked in.

The room was on the messy side with several apparatus in different corners of the room and piles of books stacked hazardously on shelves. Kenjirou was furiously writing and sighing at regular intervals while Tsubomi made her way around various piles of books, glancing at their titles.

"O-ohayo gozaimasu" Tsubomi said when she reached the desk "Ayaka-san asked me and Ayano-san to bring you your breakfast."

"Ah arigatou" Kenjirou shifted over some of the scribbles to make a somewhat clean space for the tray.

The young girl placed the tray on the desk and started to make her way towards the door when she heard Kenjirou call her back.

"Tsubomi-san, do you remember what we talked about last night at the police station, about our family?" Kenjirou enquired as he took a sip of juice and gestured for the girl to sit on the arm chair next to the desk.

Tsubomi sat with her legs hanging over the too large chair which made her look even smaller and younger then shook her head at the question.

"Well now that you'll be living here with us you're now a part of our family. Yes, Kido is still your name but now you will be part of the Tateyamas' just like Shuuya-kun,ne?"

Tsubomi nodded uncertainly with the feeling that she knew what point Kenjirou was leading onto. Also unknown to her, her eyes were slowly turning red.

"I know you're still adjusting but you can call us by more familiar names now can't you? It would make Aya-chan and Ayano-chan really happy you know?" Kenjirou said gently, noting the red sheen in Tsubomi's eyes, wondering what had caused it to appear and what power it had.

The girl nodded again with her eyes stinging slightly, from tears she thought, feeling a strange mixture of happiness yet guilt for it felt like she was really moving on from the family she was born into that although she already knew she lost was the one she would never ever forget.

"Jaa…do you want to try it out, Tsubomi-chan?" Kenjirou smiled encouragingly at the fading girl who looked at him with her voice catching in her throat.

"H-hai O-otou-san" The girl said softly while looking down slightly as if she wasn't sure if she should have done that. Then there was a hand on her shoulder and she looked up, eyes black again and no longer disappearing from sight.

"Yosh, good job Tsubomi-chan" Kenjirou congratulated "Now why don't you take the tray back to the kitchen and try doing that with the others, hm?" as he pulled her from the chair and handed her the empty tray, plate and glass that Tsubomi couldn't figure out how Kenjirou finished after such a short amount of time.

"H-hai" she stuttered as she left the room and closed the door behind her leaving Kenjirou back to his silent work.

"Alright two down one more to go" Kenjirou said as he picks up his pen "I wonder what Shuuya-kun and Tsubomi-chan will do?"

* * *

...GOMENASAI! I'm so sorry this chapter is like 6 months overdue. Have been busy with life...hehe anyway thanks for those who have picked this up again and to the new readers.

Sorry its shorter than normal...and for any mistakes.

\- Wing :)


	4. Chapter 4

Tsubomi entered the kitchen and looked for her 'family' but the room was strangely deserted with even the kitten missing from the now empty bowl. She went to the sink and put the tray next to the other breakfast plates. The back door was open so she stepped out into the late morning sun to see if anyone was there. The backyard was quiet with a lone bird on a branch guarding its nest protectively with beady eyes watching the girl with caution before flying away when its mate appeared.

There was no fence or gate separating the house from the forest allowing the odd creature to wander in but at the time none came. To the right of the door there was a garden lining the house and some vines growing up the exterior walls of a shed in the corner but other than that it was fairly wild area. A park bench with faded paint had been placed beneath a large tree and, to Tsubomi's delight; the kitten was taking a nap on it with its tail swaying off the edge of the seat. She walked with soft footsteps towards it as to not wake it up but the feline sensed her approach and lifted its head yawning then took a good stretch before jumping down and running into the forest.

Tsubomi followed it although weary at where the kitten was going. The course the white kitten took, at first didn't seem familiar but soon she recognised it as the path Ayano and her had taken yesterday from the playground. Then at a bend in the trail Tsubomi lost sight of the kitten and was worrying about how to get back and what to do because the kitten had taken quite a few detours along the way.

What would she do if she couldn't find her way back? Would they look for her? Would they find her? She panicked as she stared to walk back but surely turning at the wrong junctions. Her breathing started to get faster and shorter as her fear started to creep back. The trigger for her eyes to begin their phasing.

She had frozen by this point hidden in the shadows of trees looking desperately for anyone, for anything that would help her. But nothing came.

The sun hid behind the clouds making the forest even darker and more frightening to the child. It made her remember the darkness that came when the fire caught her. The red flames that reminded her of her sister's hair and of her final wish that echoed out to Tsubomi as she ran from the burning trap.

Curled up in the fetal position beside a tree, the girl closed her eyes and quietly drifted between states of visibility while the tears streamed down her cheeks as the burn spread from her eyes to the rest of her body.

"…ido…"

The girl raised her head with her eyes still closed in the direction of the voice.

"Hey Kido, are you around here?" the voice said as the rustling of leaves got closer. Then they stopped and Tsubomi opened her eyes for them to gaze back at Shuuya's face though she knew he couldn't see her.

"Ne, Tsubomi Kido what do you want me to call you?" he said as he smiled back at her with his own eyes changing to match her own as if to reassure her that she was not alone. Then he pats her head when she finally visualised on front of him.

"So what do you want me to call you? You can call me Kano you know? It's the name nee-san calls me when we play heroes"

She stared at him her bright eyes making her face more of a glare than that of a face of confusion.

"H-heroes?"

"Yeah! It's a really fun game we made up" said Kano his voice getting louder with his excitement "How 'bout if you join our game I call you Kido but for now I call you Tsubomi?"

Tsubomi slowly nodded then Shuuya grinned cheekily as he took the girl's hand, pulled her up and started leading her away from the shadows.

"Ne, Tsubomi-chan?"

"…Yes?" The girl answered

"Could you do me a favour and not tell nee-san that you got lost? I'm sorry you were alone. See its my fault and I was supposed to lead you" Shuuya apologised

"Lead me where?"

"Kaa-san and nee-san have a surprise for you. And it's meant to be a surprise so act like you are when you see it. You know how nee-san goes for her walks a lot? Well one day she came across this huge tree and asked tou-san to build her a tree house, her base for heroes. She really likes helping people and wants to recruit as many people as possible to save the world.

"This was before I came here but even though nee-san likes helping people and being nice to everyone she doesn't really have any close friends so she was really lonely and would stay up in the base a lot and make these plans for when the new members arrive.

"And then I came and started to help her with her plans and now you've come here. So, guess what she's going to do?"

"She wants me to…join?" Tsubomi asked hesitantly.

"Yep. You'll join us right?"

"Um but what do heroes do?"

"Well we haven't done anything big but last week we helped clean someone's car and the week before, nee-san helped an injured bird. So we're going small first but soon we'll do bigger stuff like-er-like rescuing people"

"Really?"

"Definitely" Shuuya said confidently.

The long path the two walked on shortly lost its trees and gave way to clear grounds. Her sudden gasp made him look back to give her an encouraging glance as he saw her eyes had returned to normal then he let go of her hand and stepped back . Then Ayano tackled Tsubomi in a fierce hug.

"Welcome to the base!" Ayano exclaimed, arms gesturing to the giant tree behind her.

The actual base couldn't be seen as there were numerous branches with puffs of leaves covering the whole tree which made it look almost like a dozen bushes jumbled together but just under the lowest branch was the beginning of a ladder, which Ayano climbed up after telling Tsubomi to follow her.

The girl reached the top of the ladder and popped her head into an opening in a wooden plank to a hidden room. The base was actually like a small house with individual rooms for each hero, explained Ayano when she showed Tsubomi around. They first went to Shuuya's room that had a carpet on the floor to sit on and some sheets of paper tacked into the wall. There was also a cat basket in a corner that Tsubomi disappointingly found was empty.

Then they went to Ayano's room that was just a miniature of her bedroom without her bed, with even more paper on the wall visible than the wall itself. The three then went to an empty room that Ayano proclaimed would serve as Tsubomi's hideout. The room was bare but was painted with the lightest shade of green and had a window that looked above the forest to streets and houses.

"We haven't done much yet but will you join us? And become a hero?" Ayano's eyes bright as she almost pleaded to Tsubomi.

The younger girl couldn't say no and nodded with a quiet yes that was immediately drowned out by Ayano's shout of happiness. Then the smiling girl shoved Shuuya out of the room and gave Tsubomi a summer dress to wear instead of the hand me down shirt and shorts she currently wore then left the room to let the girl change.

A bit confused with the order, the girl stood stunned for a moment then started changing. The dress was white with a sunflower pattern embroidered on the skirt. Then as soon as the girl finished changing a car horn sounded three times and Ayano burst through the room, holding Shuuya's hand then grabbed Tsubomi's. She then led them towards the ladder, down it then raced through the forest back towards the house.

"Now before Tsubomi starts her duties we need to get her room and supplies ready." Ayano said turning around so the other two could hear.

The three somehow emerged at the front of the Tateyama house and the younger two were lead towards the car with Ayaka waiting in it.

"Haha so I'm guessing you've got a new member ne, Ayano-chan?" Ayaka said, feeling pleased that her daughter has another friend as she reversed out of the driveway and entering the busy road.

"Yep" Ayano said with a smile that only grew brighter "Oh yeah. Tsubomi-chan your code name is Kido when we go on missions, alright?"

"Ok. Um but what do I call you?" The girl asked.

"Hhm how about eto...how about what Shuuya-kun calls me?"

"..."

"Its ok if you don't want to!" Ayano said trying to get of the topic "Ayano's good too"

"...A-Ayano-nee-san?" Tsubomi said softly

"Hai Tsubomi-chan?" The smile returned, threatening to break her face again.

"Where are we going?"

"We're here" said Ayano as the car stopped and she opens the door to get out.

They stood in the carpark of a shopping complex that was moderately filled with shoppers walking around to continue their quest or lazing about in cafes for well-deserved breaks in the heat of summer.

"Alright let's start off with buying light things first then we'll send it to the car and go for lunch. Sound good?" Ayaka announced as they made their way towards a shop Ayano was pointing to.

The shop was a relatively small one but was packed with items of all kinds mainly stationary and craft materials. The lady at the counter welcomed the family and then told Ayano that her order had come in. The girl clapped her hands happily and followed the lady to the storeroom at the back.

"Ok, why don't you two find something too? Maybe a project for the summer?" suggested Ayaka to Shuuya and Tsubomi "Here's some money to pay for the things you want to buy. I need to buy some items for dinner tonight but I'll be back in about half an hour"

This left Shuuya and Tsubomi wandering around the shop. Shuuya said he was going to look at some art kits at the next isle and left Tsubomi in the sewing section. Her eyes caught onto a certain shade of red string. Tsubomi didn't really have much experience with sewing but she remembered once when Hana first showed her how to sew a button back onto one of her dresses and that Hana said she was a natural. She looked at the thread curiously, deciding whether or not she should get it when the lady at the counter appeared again.

"Do you need some help, dear?"

"Um I-I want to try sewing something but I don't really know how"

"Ah then what about you get this?" The lady said pointing to a kit on one of the shelves "It's a DIY kit for beginners"

Tsubomi nodded and the women handed her the box then returned to the counter when she heard someone ring the bell at the counter. The girl continued to roam the shop, choosing bits and pieces here and there for her project. Then she found Shuuya reaching for a kit on the shelf, and not quite reaching it. There was a step stool next to her so carefully balancing her items she brought the step stool to Shuuya.

"Thanks" He said as got on it and took the kit from the shelf.

"What are you getting?" she asked as he hopped down with his kit and returned the step to where it was.

"It's a painting kit" he said "I just need one more thing then I'm done. What about you?"

She showed him the sewing supplies she chose.

"Kaa-san can help you with that. She's really good at sewing, she taught Ayano too and now she can even make clothes."

Tsubomi made a note of what he said then followed Shuuya as he searched for his last item. Then he stopped at a display of masks and made a motion to choose one.

"Ne Tsubomi-chan, which one looks good?" He asked her with his back turned.

She pointed towards one with cat shaped eyes. He smiled then took the mask she suggested.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Hope this was paced out ok and sorry for any mistakes. Reviews are always welcomed :)

I'll try to update soon!

\- Wing :)


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